The ongoing feud between tech billionaire Elon Musk and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon erupted into a firestorm of personal insults and legal threats over the July 4th weekend, exposing deep divisions within the MAGA movement. The clash, sparked by Musk’s proposal for a new political party called the “America Party,” has escalated into a public spectacle, with Musk labeling Bannon a “fat, drunken slob” and calling for his arrest, while Bannon retaliated by questioning Musk’s U.S. citizenship and demanding his deportation.
The Spark: Musk’s “America Party” Proposal
The latest chapter in this bitter rivalry began when Musk, the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, polled his 220 million X followers on July 4, 2025, about launching a third political party to challenge President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. The poll, which garnered overwhelming support with 80% in favor, prompted Musk to declare, “The people have spoken. A new political party is needed in America to represent the 80% in the middle!” He dubbed this proposed party the “America Party,” a move that drew immediate ire from Bannon, a staunch Trump loyalist and host of the War Room podcast.
Bannon, who served as Trump’s chief strategist during his first administration, lambasted Musk on his podcast, calling him “Elmo the Mook” and falsely claiming he is not a U.S. citizen. “No, brother, you’re not an American. You’re a South African,” Bannon said, despite Musk having been a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2002. “Only a foreigner could do this… If we take enough time and prove the facts of that, you should be deported,” Bannon added, accusing Musk of having ulterior motives for his proximity to Trump.
Musk’s Fiery Retort
Musk wasted no time hitting back, taking to X to deliver a scathing personal attack. “The fat, drunken slob called Bannon will go back to prison and this time for a long time. He has a lifetime of crime to pay for,” Musk wrote on July 4, 2025, in a post that quickly went viral. In a follow-up post, Musk escalated his rhetoric, stating, “Evil oozes from his face like a disease,” intensifying the personal nature of the feud.
Bannon, who served four months in federal prison in 2024 for contempt of Congress after defying a subpoena related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot investigation, has been a vocal critic of Musk for months. His attacks have included calls for investigations into Musk’s alleged drug use, his federal contracts, and even his immigration status, despite Musk’s well-documented U.S. citizenship.
A Broader MAGA Rift
The Musk-Bannon feud is emblematic of a larger “MAGA civil war” between the movement’s populist and techno-oligarchic factions. Bannon, a self-styled populist nationalist, has long criticized Musk as a “globalist” whose influence threatens the core values of the Make America Great Again movement. In a January 2025 interview with an Italian newspaper, Bannon called Musk a “truly evil guy” intent on establishing “techno-feudalism on a global scale” and vowed to “run him out” of Trump’s orbit.
Musk, once a close ally of Trump and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has seen his relationship with the president sour since early 2025. The tipping point came in June when Musk publicly criticized Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” a multi-trillion-dollar spending package, and even called for his impeachment, prompting Bannon to label the feud a “national security issue.” Musk’s subsequent exit from his advisory role and his public spat with Trump, including threats to decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, further strained ties.
The “America Party” proposal has deepened these tensions, with Bannon accusing Musk of undermining Trump’s leadership. “So now we’re the movement of ‘if you don’t agree with us 100% you should be deported’? If this is what MAGA has become, it sure as hell has no resemblance to the movement of free thinkers I’ve been in since the start,” a Trump critic commented on X, reflecting broader discontent with the infighting.
Personal Attacks and Legal Threats
The feud has taken a particularly nasty turn with both men trading personal insults. Bannon’s “Elmo the Mook” jab and his accusations of Musk’s disloyalty were met with Musk’s claims that Bannon’s criminal history warrants a lengthy prison sentence. Bannon was previously pardoned by Trump in 2021 during a fraud investigation, but his 2022 contempt conviction led to his recent incarceration. Musk’s allegations of a “lifetime of crime” remain unsubstantiated, but they underscore the intensity of their mutual animosity.
Bannon has also pushed for probes into Musk’s business dealings, including SpaceX’s government contracts and alleged drug use, as reported by The New York Times. In response, Musk has doubled down, using his platform to mock Bannon’s appearance and character while rallying support for his vision of a centrist political alternative.
Implications for the MAGA Movement
The Musk-Bannon clash highlights a growing rift within the Republican Party, with Musk’s techno-oligarchic faction advocating for deregulation and innovation, and Bannon’s populist base prioritizing traditionalist values and loyalty to Trump. Political analysts suggest this division could weaken Trump’s coalition as he navigates his second term.
“Musk and Bannon represent two poles of the MAGA spectrum,” said political commentator Kate Plummer in a Newsweek report. “Musk’s side embraces unconventional lifestyles mixed with a cultish belief in capitalism; Bannon’s Traditionalists make a more religious, populist appeal.” The outcome of this feud could shape the future of the Republican Party, especially as Bannon’s allies position him as a potential 2028 presidential contender.
What’s Next?
As the feud shows no signs of cooling, both Musk and Bannon continue to leverage their platforms—Musk’s X and Bannon’s War Room—to rally supporters. Musk’s poll results suggest significant public interest in a new political party, though third-party efforts historically face steep challenges in the U.S. electoral system. Meanwhile, Bannon’s influence within MAGA remains strong, bolstered by his media presence and ties to Trump’s base.
For now, the war of words continues, with Musk and Bannon trading barbs that resonate far beyond their personal rivalry. As one X user put it, “This is less about policy and more about who gets to define the soul of Trumpism.” Whether this feud will lead to concrete political or legal consequences remains to be seen, but it has undeniably electrified the political landscape in the summer of 2025.
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